This at a time when more than 22 young men from the community had left the state to join al-Shabab in Somalia, and roughly a dozen people have left in recent years to join the jihad in Syria, including the Islamic State group.

The area in Minneapolis where Muslim killer-cop was recruited and fast-tracked for police work is a notorious hot spot for jihad recruitment.

At a press conference after the verdict, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he was confident in the jury’s findings.

“This is a solid jury verdict and we believe it will be upheld on appeal,” he said.
Noor did not act with a depraved mind: lawyers

Noor’s first charge is murder in the third degree, which is defined in the state of Minnesota as causing the death of another through a dangerous act and without regard to human life.

In the acquittal motion, Noor’s lawyers argued there was overwhelming evidence to show the former officer acted with a sound mind and genuine care for human life.

“A depraved mind is not the product of split-second reaction,” they wrote.

“Noor reacted to a dark alley in the middle of the night, a thump on the squad [car], a voice, a body appearing at the driver’s side window, the startled announcement of fear by [Noor’s partner, Officer Harrity] as he reached for his firearm, and his observation that the person in the window was raising their right arm.

“Noor’s actions to defend his partner and himself, in the context of that night, are not evidence of the depraved mind.”

They cited Noor’s actions following the shooting, including that he performed cardiopulmonary respiration (CPR) on Ms Damond Ruszczyk, as evidence he acted with care for human life.
Mohamed Noor, right, wears a suit and tie and looks to the centre as Justine Damond Ruszczyk looks ahead, smiling in composite.

Noor’s second charge is manslaughter in the second degree, which is characterised in the state of Minnesota as creating unreasonable risk of death to another through negligence.

Noor’s lawyers argued he could not be found negligent as he “understood his actions had consequences”.

“His actions were an attempt to minimise the danger he and Officer Harrity believed was real at that moment,” they wrote.
Sentencing scheduled for next month

Noor is currently being held at Minnesota’s maximum security prison. His sentencing is scheduled for June 7, and he faces up to 15 years in prison.

The jury of 10 men and two women spent nearly 12 hours debating the verdict last month.

Judge Quittance previously denied the lawyers’ request that Noor remain free on bond until his sentencing, and also ruled the public and journalists could view the nearly 300 exhibits of evidence presented in the trial.

The Hennepin County Attorney has requested the judge place limits on the way the material is viewed, saying that mischaracterisation of the evidence without context could affect Noor’s sentencing or appeal.

Judge Quittance has opened the matter for public debate until May 16.
‘I texted her … she was already gone’

Last week, Ms Damond Ruszczyk’s fiance spoke with US television network CBS in his first sit-down TV appearance since Noor’s conviction.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Video: Justine Damond Ruszczyk’s fiance describes her final moments (ABC News)

In the interview, Don Damond called for policing reform.

“I can understand why Black Lives Matter is so angry because you can see the unjustified shooting across this nation. But this is a blue issue,” Mr Damond said.

“I would like the Minneapolis Police Department to go back and consider how officers are trained.

“How can what was learned here be taken to change and address policing in this country?

“There needs to be changes made so that no-one has to go through this. That no-one has to ever experience what we experienced.”

In what would prove to be their final conversation on July 15, 2017, Ms Damond Ruszczyk rang her fiance, who was in Las Vegas for business, to tell him she was concerned about a possible sexual assault in an alley behind her home.

“I cannot even still get my arms around how this could happen,” Mr Damond said of his fiancee’s death.

“I’m coping, but … one day at a time.

“My first thought was, I want her to be safe. I said ‘just stay put and call 911, and then call me back’.

“Probably six or seven minutes later I texted her, having not heard from her. I said, ‘tell me what’s going on’.